looking for analog mixer schematic/plans

M

michaelq

New member
if anyone could help me out i'm looking for analog mixer schematics and/or plans preferrably at least 8 channels, any era just quality. I'm also trying to get an idea of cost for this project. Any literature on the topic that someone could reccommend would be great too.
 
I'm not sure what exactly you are looking for. Do you want to find some 'existing' mixers information... or something general so you can build a mixer? Or both?
I can tell you right now about cost - it would be cheaper to buy a mixer, than to build one... unless you arevgoing to try to build something from "junk parts/non-working mixers" or taking parts from other vary junk equipment - ... which is very hard to do. You can restor some old or non-working mixer and somewhat modify something ... also gonna cost you ....
If you simply loking for some general info about mixer's structure etc... you can go for example to behringer.com ... I know the site has some pdf downloadable of most mixers they make (made).... there are some diagrams in manuals and bunch of general info as well.

maby some other sites have pdf's of their products as well...

/respects,
 
ahhh, at behringer.com you click 'support' and there there's 'downloads section.... then there you'll have 'select product drop-list.... so when you select the product you'll see what's available, like manual, specs etc...
 
michaelq said:
if anyone could help me out i'm looking for analog mixer schematics and/or plans preferrably at least 8 channels, any era just quality. I'm also trying to get an idea of cost for this project. Any literature on the topic that someone could reccommend would be great too.
Click to expand...
What kind of electronics knowledge do you have? In essence a mixer is basically a summing amplifier - each channel strip usually consists of a pre-amp (based around an op-amp), tone control (another op-amp or op-amps) then level controls and switching, all feeding multiple summing amplifiers (aux sends, groups and masters). Nothing too difficult, if you understand op-amps.

You could make a reasonable quality mixer, but when you include hardware (knobs etc) its probably going to cost about the same as buying a Mackie. (more than a behringer but you don't want one of those!) The beauty of your own is that you'll be able to build in the features you want (need a few more pre-fade sends? easy, just put in another buss and summing amp; want better tone control? pop a four band parametric on each channel strip) and make modifications easily; the downside is that unless you are amazingly skilled at metalwork then it will look cheap even though it wasn't (ever tried drilling 10 holes in an exactly straight line with exactly even spacing for an LED level meter? :eek: ).

I'm a little out of touch with the best op-amps to use for each task - I basically still do everything with the TL071/72/74 series, these will be fine for line level stuff but for mic pre-amps you may want to use something else. It depends how fussy you are! You could put in a basic one and get that 'extra-special' offboard pre for special tasks.

If you're not familiar with op-amps, learn about them - I don't think I'm exaggerating by saying that they are one of the fundamental building blocks for audio circuits. Your balanced input is just an op-amp running as a differential amplifier; balanced output runs through a dual op-amp, one side inverting the other non-inverting. Tone controls are filters built into the feedback loop.

Hope this helps - PM me if you'd like some circuit ideas. I've always toyed with the idea of building one but could never justify it :( !

Cya
Andrew
 
If your time is money, I'd say it's going to be expensive! I've thought about trying to do something like this, but by the time I've added up all the parts, hardware, PCB making/veroboard cutting, NOT TO MENTION METALWORK, and troubleshooting noise, etc (inevitable in a project like this), and all the other pitfalls, I went out and bought something.

Definitely not for the faint at heart, a project like that. I admire anyone that can do it.
 
Don't be disheartened buy the costs of building a project. The amount you will learn will be invaluable and i think would be well worth the cost of parts etc. And if the desk breaks down who better to fix it than the guy who built it??

Go for it. And keep us up to date with your progress.


Good Luck :)
 
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